1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus capable of referring to a history of transmission jobs that have been executed, a control method therefor, and a storage medium storing a control program therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some communication apparatuses require authentication when using the communication apparatus itself or when using a function thereof. On the other hand, some image forming apparatuses, such as printers, are provided with a transmitting function to transmit/receive data to/from external devices. When receiving a print job from the external device, such an image forming apparatus processes the print job and forms an image. That is, this kind of image forming apparatus has a function as a communication apparatus.
There is a known image forming apparatus (it may be hereafter called a device) that requires authentication when using the image forming apparatus itself or when using a function thereof. This kind of image forming apparatus allows using the device to an authenticated user only. There is known application software that provides such authentication. Hereafter, the above-mentioned authentication is called device authentication.
There is an image forming apparatus that allows using specific functions, such as a data transmitting function and a printing function, to an authenticated user only, and application software that provides such authentication is also known. Hereafter, such authentication is called function authentication.
Conventionally, an image forming apparatus that has the device authentication could set about whether the device authentication is performed. When being set to perform the device authentication, the image forming apparatus performs the user authentication at the time of log-in, and only a user who passed the user authentication can use the image forming apparatus. On the other hand, regarding the function authentication, the image forming apparatus can set permission or no-permission about transmission methods, such as electric mail transmission, facsimile transmission, and file transmission, for a user.
When the user passed the user authentication, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2006-41598 (JP 2006-41598A) can input a new transmission job with reference to a transmission history (a history of a transmission job sent to the image forming apparatus) stored in the image forming apparatus.
However, the image forming apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned publication opens the history information about the transmission job that has been executed by the authenticated user to other users, which may cause a security problem. For example, when a user who is not permitted to use the data transmitting function using an electric mail refers to the history information about the transmission job using an electronic mail, the user concerned may send data using an electronic mail. Or even when data cannot be sent using an electronic mail, transmission setting may be available with reference to the transmission history information. In such a case, an error occurs when instructing execution of transmission, which causes a problem of impairing usability.
Some image forming apparatuses having the device authentication are provided with a function to delete the transmission history information concerning a job (for example, a print job) executed during authentication when a user logs out.
However, when the transmission history information is deleted when the user logs out, the user cannot resend a transmission job even if the user logs in again and tries to send the transmission job based on the transmission history information about the jobs that have been executed.